Gaming Could the next Xbox be just a PC?

[Futurdreamz]

With Microsoft unifying the Xbox and Windows OS - even making games compatible with both - I genuinely think that the next Xbox console could just be a reference PC (like the Surface line) and third party manufacturers can make Steambox-like consoles that run the same games as the Xbox. I'm thinking the Project Scorpio might be a testbed for this.

Microsoft would need to make sure that the entire OS and all third-party UWP apps and games can be controlled by a controller. All the focus has been on touchscreen and keyboard/mouse interfaces, but this would be another slightly different interface to navigate. That may require some significant changes to the apps.

Microsoft would need to set minimum specs for games and hardware. I'm imagining a tiered Xbox certification program, like an improved Windows Experience Program. The program failed though, so Microsoft would need to figure out what went wrong and improve on it.

Thoughts?

 

[HaloEliteLegend]

Ehh Valve tried this and failed. I don't think they'd go the route of the Steam Machines. Though if they did,they would have a performance advantage, because one of the Steam Machines' pitfalls was Linux, which was slower than Windows with similar hardware. Naturally, Microsoft could pack in Win10.

At best, they'd make a modular Xbox, where it's one piece of hardware, but you can buy a new GPU, say, and swap them in.

See, the thing with making a console pretty much a PC is that if it's basically a PC... why not get an actual PC? If third party companies were making the hardware, that's another party that has to get paid. That means more costs. No, I don't think Microsoft would do that. The Steam Machines failed because why not just get a PC instead of a like-PC device that's walled in?

Along those lines, however, I wouldn't put it past Microsoft to do what they did with the Surface RT -- make it pretty much a PC, but walled in.

 

[RevPokemon]

Though if they did,they would have a performance advantage, because one of the Steam Machines' pitfalls was Linux, which was slower than Windows with similar hardware. Naturally, Microsoft could pack in Win10.

I do not know if it is smart to say it was due to Linux as much as the fact that the real issue was more of the fact that most games really were made for direct x not for Linux although many of the games on linux ran pretty well. Also the other issue was that Steam really was not that good of a distro in the first place.

See, the thing with making a console pretty much a PC is that if it's basically a PC... why not get an actual PC?

If they had exclusive games people probably would. That was the issue with Steam machines was Valve told devs not to focus exclusively on SteamOS which kinda messed it up since it lacked original games.

 

[Deleted User]

the xbox one is already basically a PC.. it's a laptop without a screen, keyboard, battery and a good OS

 

[Futurdreamz]

For it to work, Xbox would have to be a certification to guarantee that if you buy an Xbox 10 game it will work on a Xbox 10 "console," even if it's just a htpc sold by Dell or Acer or even homebuilt.

 

[FAST6191]

"the entire OS and all third-party UWP apps and games can be controlled by a controller"
So make a version of joy2key, or indeed recode directX input layer to dos something similar, maybe spend a day or two trying out acceleration curves for the pointer. Touch and mouse are primary input methods and kind of have to be good, this just has to be acceptable for interface and games are already there for the most part -- the hardest that would be would be whether to allow auto aim/aim assist.

"Ehh Valve tried this and failed"
Would MS trying it be all that comparable though? MS do still own the market and most popular api set. If recompilation is trivial vs potentially a fair bit of work to move to opengl and figure out what is going on with Linux input and audio apis (granted steambox os did kind of attempt to minimise some of that at the cost of limiting hardware).

Anyway I am all for the end of consoles being a thing and it to go commodity hardware, I would kind of like MS to not be the ones to control it but frankly I think I would rather them than steambox/Valve.

 

[Futurdreamz]

I think the main thing is that Microsoft is already maybe 85% there. They have an OS that's capable, they have the games, they have the console, they have a willing audience, they just need to ensure the OS works as a 10-foot interface and have straightforward guidelines and recommendations.